As expected, the Covid-19 Pandemic took a toll on our nation’s mortality rate. According to provisional data from the CDC, our age-adjusted mortality rate, which measures deaths per 100,000 people, rose by about 16 percent in 2020. Experts say this surge was the largest since the 1920s when disease outbreaks were more common. While the vaccines have drastically lowered Covid death rates, experts say the effects of missed screenings and other problems could be felt for up to two years.